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B. 05 BOGOTA 4467
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, Reasons: 1.4 B & D.
1. (U) This is the first in a series of cables chronicling
weekly events in the run up to the March 12 Congressional and
May 28 Presidential elections in Colombia. Ref B provided a
general overview of federal electoral issues.
2. (SBU) Pardo Update: Partially setting aside his public
dispute with the President over unsubstantiated allegations
of links to the FARC aired by the Uribe administration last
week (Ref A), Senator Rafael Pardo formally launched his
Liberal Party Presidential candidacy on January 24. Pardo
presented a three-prong platform that emphasizes ending the
armed conflict, eradicating poverty and setting Colombia on
the path to increased economic development. As a result of
last week's publicity, Pardo's low numbers have bounced
inside the Liberal Party (from 4% in October to 9%), but not
enough for him to win the Party nomination at the March 12
national primary. He still lags far behind Party frontrunner
Horacio Serpa, with 41%.
3. (U) Gina Parody to Run for Senate on Uribe's "U" Party
List: Gina Parody, who received an overwhelming majority of
votes when she ran for the House representing Bogota in 2002,
announced on January 26 that she would run for Senate on the
"U" Party list -- and would take the top spot on that list.
Parody was an Uribe dissident on the Justice and Peace Law
and complained of paramilitary influence in the current
electoral campaign. Her return to the field after the "U"
Party rejected two incumbents for paramilitary associations
is a win for Parody and for the "U" Party.
4. (SBU) Criticism of Uribe Campaign Activities: Opposition
leaders criticized Uribe for using both the presidential
palace (Casa Narino) and the presidential aircraft for
partisan political activity, alleging contravention of the
Electoral Guarantees Law. Commentators differ on whether or
not the two examples constitute abuses. Congress would
decide any formal electoral complaints only after the
election. Uribe has publicly said that he is willing to
defend his actions before the House, but has instructed
advisors that all visitors to Casa Narino state their
business publicly. We will see more of this kind of thing,
thanks to the cumbersome and unrealistic Guarantees Law
designed to level the playing field between incumbent Uribe
and his opponents.
5. (C) Maria Emma Mejia off Polo Democratico Alternativo
ticket: Former FM Maria Emma Mejia announced on January 23
she would not accept the leftist Polo's offer to head the
Party's Senate list for the March Congressional elections.
Mejia said "radicalizing" forces in the Party (associated
with Representative Gustavo Petro) appear to be in the
ascendancy, and acknowledged that her decision not to run is
a win for Petro (septel). Daniel Garcia-Pena, former Peace
Commissioner and Polo Senate candidate claimed that the
Party's decision to have Petro head its list, and not
ideological differences, motivated Mejia's withdrawal from
the Party.
6. (C) Liberal and Conservative Parties Finalize their
Congressional Lists: Both the Conservative and Liberal
parties finalized their Congressional elections lists this
past week. Unlike the pro-Uribe "U" and "Cambio Radical"
parties and the Liberal Party, however, Conservative Party
head Carlos Holguin has stated he will not expel candidates
merely suspected of paramilitary ties, because he is "neither
a judge nor jury." The Conservative House list includes
several controversial candidates, including Hector Julio
Alfonso Lopez, the son of Enilse Lopez, known as "La Gata," a
millionaire businesswoman suspected of paramilitary ties.
7. (U) Recent Polling Numbers: According to a poll taken
last week, 34.9 percent of respondents said they intended to
vote for the Liberal Party for Congress; 12.9 percent for the
Uribista "U" Party, 11.8 percent for the Conservative Party,
and 6.6 percent for Uribista Cambio Radical (for an Uribista
total of 31.3%). In the same poll, with all potential
candidates running, 48% of respondents said they intended to
vote to reelect President Uribe. Other polls showing
head-to-head races give Uribe a first-round victory.
8. (C) What the People Want: According to Secretary General
of the Presidency Bernardo Moreno, the President's senior
advisors have come to the conclusion that the public wants to
see Uribe "governing" and not "campaigning." In particular,
he said the public does not want to see Uribe stumping for
Congressional candidates and that the President's team
realized that the Pardo issue and "U" Party expulsions for
links to paramilitaries had set them back.
WOOD

Raw content

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000849
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV, KJUS, CO
SUBJECT: WEEKLY ELECTION ROUNDUP
REF: A. BOGOTA 555
B. 05 BOGOTA 4467
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, Reasons: 1.4 B & D.
1. (U) This is the first in a series of cables chronicling
weekly events in the run up to the March 12 Congressional and
May 28 Presidential elections in Colombia. Ref B provided a
general overview of federal electoral issues.
2. (SBU) Pardo Update: Partially setting aside his public
dispute with the President over unsubstantiated allegations
of links to the FARC aired by the Uribe administration last
week (Ref A), Senator Rafael Pardo formally launched his
Liberal Party Presidential candidacy on January 24. Pardo
presented a three-prong platform that emphasizes ending the
armed conflict, eradicating poverty and setting Colombia on
the path to increased economic development. As a result of
last week's publicity, Pardo's low numbers have bounced
inside the Liberal Party (from 4% in October to 9%), but not
enough for him to win the Party nomination at the March 12
national primary. He still lags far behind Party frontrunner
Horacio Serpa, with 41%.
3. (U) Gina Parody to Run for Senate on Uribe's "U" Party
List: Gina Parody, who received an overwhelming majority of
votes when she ran for the House representing Bogota in 2002,
announced on January 26 that she would run for Senate on the
"U" Party list -- and would take the top spot on that list.
Parody was an Uribe dissident on the Justice and Peace Law
and complained of paramilitary influence in the current
electoral campaign. Her return to the field after the "U"
Party rejected two incumbents for paramilitary associations
is a win for Parody and for the "U" Party.
4. (SBU) Criticism of Uribe Campaign Activities: Opposition
leaders criticized Uribe for using both the presidential
palace (Casa Narino) and the presidential aircraft for
partisan political activity, alleging contravention of the
Electoral Guarantees Law. Commentators differ on whether or
not the two examples constitute abuses. Congress would
decide any formal electoral complaints only after the
election. Uribe has publicly said that he is willing to
defend his actions before the House, but has instructed
advisors that all visitors to Casa Narino state their
business publicly. We will see more of this kind of thing,
thanks to the cumbersome and unrealistic Guarantees Law
designed to level the playing field between incumbent Uribe
and his opponents.
5. (C) Maria Emma Mejia off Polo Democratico Alternativo
ticket: Former FM Maria Emma Mejia announced on January 23
she would not accept the leftist Polo's offer to head the
Party's Senate list for the March Congressional elections.
Mejia said "radicalizing" forces in the Party (associated
with Representative Gustavo Petro) appear to be in the
ascendancy, and acknowledged that her decision not to run is
a win for Petro (septel). Daniel Garcia-Pena, former Peace
Commissioner and Polo Senate candidate claimed that the
Party's decision to have Petro head its list, and not
ideological differences, motivated Mejia's withdrawal from
the Party.
6. (C) Liberal and Conservative Parties Finalize their
Congressional Lists: Both the Conservative and Liberal
parties finalized their Congressional elections lists this
past week. Unlike the pro-Uribe "U" and "Cambio Radical"
parties and the Liberal Party, however, Conservative Party
head Carlos Holguin has stated he will not expel candidates
merely suspected of paramilitary ties, because he is "neither
a judge nor jury." The Conservative House list includes
several controversial candidates, including Hector Julio
Alfonso Lopez, the son of Enilse Lopez, known as "La Gata," a
millionaire businesswoman suspected of paramilitary ties.
7. (U) Recent Polling Numbers: According to a poll taken
last week, 34.9 percent of respondents said they intended to
vote for the Liberal Party for Congress; 12.9 percent for the
Uribista "U" Party, 11.8 percent for the Conservative Party,
and 6.6 percent for Uribista Cambio Radical (for an Uribista
total of 31.3%). In the same poll, with all potential
candidates running, 48% of respondents said they intended to
vote to reelect President Uribe. Other polls showing
head-to-head races give Uribe a first-round victory.
8. (C) What the People Want: According to Secretary General
of the Presidency Bernardo Moreno, the President's senior
advisors have come to the conclusion that the public wants to
see Uribe "governing" and not "campaigning." In particular,
he said the public does not want to see Uribe stumping for
Congressional candidates and that the President's team
realized that the Pardo issue and "U" Party expulsions for
links to paramilitaries had set them back.
WOOD